Of Tuxedos, Bells and Drill Presses: Le week-end Chez Nous!

This is what the weekend is all about at our house.  Yesterday Lars learned to use a drill press to make holes in the cabinet doors for the hinges:

Afterwards, Bernie stained and glazed the doors and drawer front and installed them in the butler's pantry, which looks much better now. 

Bernie still needs to glaze the back of the kitchen island and all of the light rail molding, and then top coat everything before the finishing work will be complete.  As with most do-it-yourself remodels, this is taking a lot longer than it would have if we hired someone to come in and do everything at once.  Instead, there's an hour of free time one day to work on the cabinets, but then a few hectic days go by when there's no time for home improvement projects at all.  I'm just delighted that my lattes no longer taste toxic, and that now my little cabinet is mostly finished and the plumbing is no longer on display.

Meanwhile, my little Anders has been begging me for a tuxedo for about six months now.  I have no idea who or what may have planted this obsessive formal wear seed in his mind, but he hasn't forgotten about it and I finally caved in.  If he can have a Yoda costume, a Batman costume, and a Buzz Lightyear costume, then why not a tuxedo?  Look how proud and happy he is!  Awww!  :-)

I am not completely insane, however, so I found him a polyester tuxedo on Amazon.com that is just a few steps above a Halloween costume on the quality scale.  I figure he can wear it for Piano Festival in a couple of weeks, and then he can wear it to his piano recital in May as well.  If he grows out of it after that, I will have gotten my money's worth from just those two wearings.  There are only so many occasions for a seven-year-old to wear a tux, you know?  For what I paid for this ensemble, it's fine.  The pants fit a little snug at the waist, and the vest and coat are way too big, but Bernie is going to take him to the inexpensive alterations shop he uses to fix that for him.  Why am I not doing the alterations myself on my amazing Bernina sewbaby, you may ask?  Because I wouldn't know where to begin to alter a tailored jacket, for one thing, and for another, I'm still really busy with work and I don't see any free time for sewing opening up for at least another couple of months.

Oh, yes; the bells -- Lars and Anders played in the youth bell choir at church this morning, and now they are at a Kids in Christ youth group Valentine activity with the amazing Ms. Glenda.  I have been doing laundry, but still need to get a grocery list together and prune my crape myrtles now that my husband set up my ladder and wheelbarrow for me.  When the boys get back from church I'll be listening to piano practice and supervising some math homework that Anders needs to turn in tomorrow, and later this evening I'll put the finishing touches on a dining room drapery design that I'm scheduled to present to clients on Monday afternoon.  Once the kids are in bed and their stories have been read, I'll probably wonder where the weekend went again, but really, we've been busy and accomplished a lot.

Next week I have several business meetings, Valentine's Day, the installation of my laundry room granite and *RED* laundry sink, and the long-awaited, should-have-been-done-ages-ago installation of my shutters to look forward to.  Anders' class is going on a field trip to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra this week (I wonder if I should let him bring the conductor's baton my dad gave him for Christmas?) and we have an appointment to have a family portrait taken for the church directory on Wednesday evening after the boys finish choir practice.  I wonder if I can squeeze them in for haircuts before the photographer appointment?  There are only so many hours in each day.

Have a happy Valentine's Day, everyone.  Have a great week!